Just as knowing the rules of chess does not, by itself, allow you to win tournaments, having Einstein’s field equations for general relativity does not immediately tell you what the gravitational field surrounding a real object is actually like.

Of particular concern was the gravitational field of a massive, rotating body – after all, nearly everything in the universe seems to rotate. It sounds deceptively simple, but as Fulvio Melia explains, it was actually a fiendishly complex problem, one that defied an answer for decades. New Zealand-born physicist Roy Kerr finally “cracked the Einstein code” in the early 1960s.

Great to see another Kiwi honoured on the international stage.

Professor Roy’s previous awards include the Companion of The New Zealand Order of Merit in 2011 and the Rutherford (RSNZ 1993), Hughes (RS London, 1982) and Hector (RSNZ, 1982) Medals.

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